Car-door-operating mechanism



Feb. 8,1927. 1,616,434 H. T. ANDERSQN CAR DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 20, 1925 vs Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 8,1927.

1 H. T. ANDERSON CAR DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 20. 1925 INVENTOR H. T. ANDERSON -CAR DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Fil ed Feb. 20. 1925 s sheeps-shet s .INVENTORI Patented Feb. 8, 1927.

amino ST S PATENT :OFFLCE,

HARRY r. a asQN 0 313 11433 .RENN A, ASSIGNQR ,ro ,srAun aD srnan c n CQMPANY, ,OF-IITTSIWEQH, L iENK AN-M A CQBBOBATION or PENNSYL- GAR-DOOB-OZBERATING MECHANISM;

Application filed February 20, .1925; Serial :N 0. 110,604.

The invention isgapplicable .particirlarly to. cars having bottom doors that are lowered and raised toopenandclosed positions, respectively. incars of someatypes; the main portion of the :lifting. apparatus ;is disposed centrally of-the car where it cannot ,be readily seen. The :ioperator therefore .cannot tell definitely whether the .doors are safely closed, and it is-xthe objectoflmy invention to provide means associated withthedoor operating. mechanism to positively ail-Dd clear- 1y inclicatethe positioniofthel doors and [tho actuating mechanism xtherefor.

contents of the cars Jupon-Jthe doorstends to l hold the mechanism, against movement; to open-position, vand I the operating shaft .is relieved of {strain when ;.the .ld-QQTS are fully closed. I a provide an indicator which is positively. moved-to a-ipredeterxnined position when ithe door 1mechanism has moved -to fully. closed position.

One form whiehmyinvention maytake is shown .in the accompanying v dnalwings WhEiBQiDJFlg. I1 is a plan vie-(w, partially vin section, of ;a portionzofaa car equippedwith mydnvention; eFig. 2 is a vertical sectional view ofthe apparatus of v Fig. 1,;taken-on the line 22; Figh-iis anoeleuationa lwi-e-w, on an enlarged scale, of a por ifl wofithe apparatus of lo -sig al tvithpthe-doors clgosed position;-;Fig. '4: is a similar-view, with the doors in, open :position; Fig. ;is a iew taken onv-theiline .5,5.of .Fig. -3,,and 6 is a detail iew of the, elatch-ing nechanism. 1' I Only so much ta e is 'ZSlglOWll as ;is n e ary t an explanafionof myi r ntion. I have -shown sideH-siills '7 Jand drafts si lls 8 that-maybe 'Ofphim gllSLlitl-EEOIHL Aitruss i) connects the side sills inwith the draft :sills and is provided m' ith brackets 10110 which hanger links 11 are; pivotally lconneeted nnd other brackets; zto' which shorter; hanger; links 12 "are pivotal-ly connected, the ilower ends of the links '11 and 12 serving to support the (doors :13 at their inner and. outer-edges It will be understoodithattwo or more pairs of hanger links Em ay be' provicled for {each door. The arrangement of ,hanger links and doors just referred to, as well asisorne of the v other portions of the mechanism, are described and claimed in any v copend-ing application, Serial No. Zlifififi, ti led May 20, 1

The doors are raised and loweredthrough the medium ,of pairs of lifting links 114 shown more olear'ly in Fig. et tozthe upper ends 30f 'whic'hare connected .p'zull links .15 which, at their oppositexends, have pivotal connection with za-crank =16 thatlis .rotatably niountedon a shaft .17. The icrank 1 6.- is provided with ;a;lug118 that is engaged alternately on its opposite sides byithelug 19 that is secured to :a gear 20, to effect ,rotationof said crank and movementiof the's-lifti-ng links 114:.vertically from the position. shown in Fig. 4:;to,that.shown in Fig. 3. glhe gear wheel 20 is driveniFigs. Land 2) through the ,medium of ,the shaft :21, sprocket v22, ,chain 123, sprocket 24 and :pin ion 25J-(A-Fig. 5,). {Ehe sprocket- 24aandpinion 25 sane preferably formed rintegralzand are rotatable aipon a shaft 526.

Latching mechanism for holding .-the doors in a series-of raised, positions while being ,closed, and particularly while .the operator is adjusting his Wrench between turningimoveinents, is shown 1(Fig. 1) :at- 27 and, may consist tFig. -6) .of ;the \usual pawl '28 and ratchet 29. filrlie ratchet 29 'is secured ,-:to ,a shaft 30 that has connection through bevelgear wl1eels-3l ,Wi'thithe operating shaft 21. Thepawl 28,:Inay beitripped by means of "the usual handle 32 .which is secured to a rocks'haft :313, the opposite end aofzgwhich: has engagement with, the pawl 28 to lift the same.

iFBOHlothB foregoing it will be seen that when the operating shaft" 30 is rotated to drivethe gear wheel :20 in-aclockewise :direction, theilug l9 onsuch gear wheeliwill be brought into engagement with, the. rear side of .therlug 18 on the crank 16 to cause rotati-on-of theacranlcin Ia clockise direction about the shaft :17 to inovethe Ptll'llll'nkS lowto the positionshownimFigL 3, thus raisng-alsothe lifting links laandthe doors '13. The pivotal connection between the links 14 and 15 will be carried across the center line of the shaft 17 in a manner well knownin the art, so that an over-the-center effect is secured whereby the weight. of the doors tends to hold the rotatable parts I against backward movement.

In order to open the doors the shaft 17 is caused to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction, to bring the lug 19 into engage,- ment with the opposite side of. the lug 18 of the crank 16 so that said crank will be given acounter clockwise movement at least sufficient to carrythe pivot back across the shaft 17 whereupon the weight of the doors will complete opening movement of I the mechanism.

-I will now describe that portion of the their inner ends to one end of a bell crank 43, the lower end of which is pivotally mounted upon a "bracket 44. The crank 43 is provided at its mid portion with a stud 45 with which engages a slotted extension 3 I 46 of acrank 47 The crank 47 has'an extension 48 with which camming engagement ismade as hereinafter described, to effect oscillation of the, crank about the shaft 26 upon which it is loosely mounted. The parts just described may be disposed beneath hopper sheets (not shown) so that the lading will not come in contact there with. p

The gear wheel 20 is provided with a pair of lugs 49 and 50that alternately engage opposite sides of the crank arm 48 to oscillate it about the shaft 26. When the door is in closed position as shown in Fig.3, the cam lug 5O lies against the rear side of the arm 48 so that the crank 47 is held against movement in a clockwise direction and the indicators 38 therefore maintained in the positions shown inFig. 3, thus showing to 'the operator that the operating shaft 21 has been rotated sufficiently to move the crank 16 to the position shown in Fig. 3, with the pivot 35 across the center line of the shaft 17.

' The crank 43 serves also as a latch to prevent accidental movement ofthe pivot 35 to the left, from the position shown in Fig. 3, in that it engages the rear sides of the lifting links 14 to prevent movement of the upper ends thereof to the left. The

. member 43 is provided with a corner portion 43? that seats within an angular recess 43* (Fig.4) of one of the links 14, when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3.

' When the mechanism is operated to move the gear wheel 20 in a counter clockwise direction so that the doors'13 may be opened, the lug 49 engages the right hand side of the crank arm 48,'moving the crank 47 in a clockwise direction, thus lifting the slotted portion 46 thereof, carrying with it the stud 45 and consequently moving the crank 43 upward. This upward movement of the crank about itspivot on the bracket 45 shifts the rods 40 and 42 to the left (Fig. 3), thereby causing the indicator members '38 to be moved about their pivots to the positions shown in Fig. 4, with the ball-like portions 39 thereof in their upper positions where they tend to maintain the :parts 40, 42 and 43 inthe positions shown. I

Continued rotation of the gear wheel 20 ina counter clockwise direction will cause the lug 49 to move frombeneath the crank extension 48. Upon movement of the gear wheel 20 in a clockwise direction'to closethe doors, the cam lug 49 will be carried beneath the arm 48, but the cam lug 50, which is disposed at a greater distance than the lug 49 from the shaftli, will engage the rear side of the arm'48 and move the crank 47 in a counter clockwise direction to return the indicator members 38 from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 3, such movement occurring, as above explained, when the pivot 35 has passed across the center of the shaft 17.

From the foregoing it will. be seen that means are provided for positively indicating when the door lifting. parts are in fully and safely closed position, regardless of the fact that the mechanism may be mainly located out of sight beneath the car and behind apparatus which obstructs the view thereof.

. I claim as my invention: 1. In car structure, the combination with drop doors operated by mechanism of an over-the-center type, of an indicator, and means actuated upon movement of said mechanism to over-the-center position for operating said indicator.

2. In 'car structure having door operating mechanism disposed adjacent to its mid portion, of a rotatable member for moving said mechanism to close the door, an indicator, and means associated with said rotatable member for operating the indicator when said member has reached substantially its limit of closing movement.

' 3.111 car structure having door operating mechanism disposed adjacent to its mid portion, of a rotatable member for moving said mechanism to close the door, an indicator, and means associated with said rotatable member for operatingthe indicator in one direction when said member has reached substantially its'limit of closing movement,

and for operating said indicator in another direction when said rotatable member is moved in the reverse direction.

4:. The combination with a car door and a rotatable member for operating the same, of indicator mechanism, and a lost motion connection between said rotatable member and said mechanism.

5. The combination with drop bottom doors and mechanism for operating the same comprisinglifting links pivotally connected at their upper ends, of a support for the upper ends of said links, means for carrying said ends to an over-center position with respect to said support, and a-locking member for engagingthe rear surfaces of said links at their upper ends toprevent backward movement thereof.

6. The combination with drop bottom doors and mechanism for operating the same comprising lifting links pivotally connected at their upper ends, of a support for said links, means for carrying said ends to an over-center position with respect to said support, a locking member for engaging the rear surfaces of said links attheir upper ends to prevent backward movement thereof, and means for effecting disengagement of said locking member upon movement of said carrying means toward open position.

7 The combination with drop bottom doors and lifting members therefor, of

here, an indicator, and means controlled by said mechanism for actuating the indicator only when the lifting members are moving through that portion oftheir path adjacent to fully closed position, the said indicator being actuated in opposite directions as the doors approach fully closed position and as opening movement thereof begins.

9. The combination with a car door and means for actuating the same, of an indicator, and a lost motion connection betweensaid actuating means and said indicator so arranged that the indicator is actuated only when the door is substantially at one extreme position of movement.

In testimony whereof I the said HARRY T. ANDERSON, have hereunto set my hand.

HARRY T. ANDERSON. 

